THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD BLB 13/73 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY [CSR] IN THE BRITISH LIBRARY / ANNUAL REPORT 2012/13

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1 IN CONFIDENCE THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD BLB 13/73 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY [CSR] IN THE BRITISH LIBRARY / ANNUAL REPORT 2012/13 1. PURPOSE OF THE PAPER To present the fifth annual report on the work that has taken place under the Library s Corporate Social Responsibility programme. 2. SUMMARY This fifth Corporate Social Responsibility report sets out the key achievements in 2012/13. These largely focused on economic, energy/environment and social initiatives, although within those three core areas the biggest and most important projects were diverse, drawing on many different types of activity. The achievements in 2012/13 demonstrate the Library s ongoing commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility. 3. ACTION REQUESTED OF THE BOARD The Board is invited to note the report which is presented for information. Operations September

2 Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2012/13 Continuing with Beyond Business as Usual Welcome to our fifth Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report. This year, the British Library s ongoing commitment to an ethos for beyond business as usual has again been at the centre for all CSR related activity and resulting achievements. We are happy to report another successful year. Our key achievements for 2012/13 have largely focused on economic, energy/environment and social initiatives. Our economic agenda leads us to think about our contribution towards economic development and our code of ethics and standards of business practice. Our environmental agenda helps us to think about how we behave ethically and in the best interests of key environmental concerns, such as reducing our carbon footprint, reducing waste, as well as developing and introducing socially beneficial products and services. And, our social agenda ensures that we think about how we can improve the quality of life for our workforce, our families, the international community and the local community. Within these three core areas, our biggest and most important projects have been diverse, drawing on many different types of activity from lighting upgrades and more efficient chillers to automated escalators and educational partnerships. CSR comes in many different forms and varieties. The impact of the wide range of CSR initiatives we have implemented has been both beneficial and rewarding. Last year, the Library produced its first ever CSR video titled Beyond Business as Usual: What CSR means to the British Library. This short film, funded entirely through the recycling of old IT equipment, highlights the British Library s key achievements in Corporate Social Responsibility from A copy of the video can be found on YouTube at the following link: Our Working Group continues to lead the way in championing CSR across the Library, and this year sees the appointment of a new CSR Working Group Chair, Alistair McIntosh Head of Organisation Development. In addition, we also welcome a number of new members to the group; resulting in our largest CSR Working Group ever, including Katie Betts, Hilary Hallas, Lorraine Henderson, James Hughes, Sandra Myers-Edwards and Metz Gidda. This report outlines our key achievements for 2012/13 and demonstrates the British Library s ongoing dedication and commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility past, present and future. We very much hope you enjoy reading it. CSR Working Group 2012/13 Susan Adams Head of Advocacy Alasdair Ball Head of Collection Acquisition and Description Katie Betts IC Business Partner and Channel Manager Alasdair Fraser Head of Procurement Metz Gidda Employee Engagement Manager Hilary Hallas Continuous Improvement Manager Lorraine Henderson Delivery Services Manager James Hughes Welcome Team Alistair McIntosh Head of Organisation Development Sandra Myers-Edwards HR Business Partner Diversity David Read Head of Facilities and Property Patrick Dixon Head of Engineering and Construction

3 Economic This year, the British Library s key achievements in the economic space include the continuing development of our responsible supply chain policy, the support and development of SMEs via our Business and Intellectual Property Centre, a more environmentally-friendly desktop and hardware procurement contract, an enhanced paper-saving strategy, and implementation of a Library-wide Managed Print Service primarily to reduce waste.

4 Enabling effective and responsible supply chain solutions By spending time communicating with and developing our Contract Managers, the British Library has embedded good practice in our procedures for contract tendering and ongoing management of the supply chain, incorporating all aspects of our CSR Responsible Procurement Policy into this process. This year, we have continued to emphasise efficient management of the Library s high value and critical contracts. A key achievement has been the development of a British Library Small Medium Enterprise (SME) action plan, to maintain 40% of our total spend with SMEs which is above the Government target of 25%. This has resulted in: Simplified tender documentation to make applications easier for all suppliers, including SMEs. Better forward planning to identify contracts where requirements are suitable for smaller niche SME suppliers. A reduction in the number of tenders placed without competition; allowing time for competition from a range of SME suppliers. The establishment of British Library contracts for specialist category service areas, including Digital Library Development, Web Services, Publishing and Video Production. This provides benefits by building efficient and closer relationships with a range of suppliers, which include the SME category. Specific CSR Contract achievements This year, five of the six contracts for the Business & IP Centre (BIPC) Innovating for Growth Programme (a programme focused on providing expert advice and support on business strategy and sustainability, branding, intellectual property, developing products and going to market), were awarded to SMEs. These contracts will run for over two years. All six contract tenders were advertised openly on the Compete For and Contracts Finder website, which reached the SME community. During the year, the BIPC itself finalised preparations for its pilot centre in Newcastle to become fully-operational in May Plans are in place to open further regional centres by Responsible procurement in Technical Operations The Library s Technical Operations team has recently entered into a procurement contract with a new supplier for the provision of desktop and laptop hardware, peripherals and accessories. The procurement process included a number of options for reducing the amount of packaging used, including the supply of desktops in a single unboxed consignment, as well as removal of unnecessary equipment such as mice and keyboards where existing ones could be reused. In addition, any unwanted packaging is collected following delivery. The British Library purchases approximately 400 desktop PCs every year, and there is the potential to reduce packaging and waste for these purchases by between 30 40% with this initiative. Reduced paper usage Since December 2011, the Library s office supplies have been provided through a national framework contract, managed by our Estates team. One of the tenets of the contract is the promotion of environmentally sustainable products, especially recycled paper. Earlier this year the price of 100% recycled A4 white copier paper was lowered to encourage purchase. Our Estates team took the decision to take this a step further and, in April 2013, restricted the range of paper available. As a result, only two A4 white copier papers are now available, both are 100% recycled and one is made without the use of any bleaching agents. Compared to virgin paper, 100% recycled paper requires 83% less water and 72% less energy to produce and its production generates 46% fewer C02 emissions. Initial feedback has been positive and we have purchased 380 boxes (or 950,000 sheets!) of A4 paper, all of which are 100% recycled. We will continue to monitor the purchasing habits of colleagues and, where appropriate, encourage the adoption of environmentally sustainable products. The use of Closed Loop paper has continued to be mandated a fully recycled paper, for all internal use within the Library. Closed Loop paper is 100% recycled, with no trees cut down to produce it. In addition, there is less water used and air pollution produced in the making of the paper. Implementation of a Managed Print Service (MPS) The British Library Technical Operations team is currently implementing a Managed Print Service across all areas of the British Library. All existing print devices more than 5 years old will be replaced by new multi-function devices providing black-white/colour printing, as well as scanning and copying facilities. Unlike traditional push-printing, the new service operates a pull-print system where documents are printed on demand using a staff pass. The final outcome is anticipated to reduce the current printer estate (estimated at approximately 800 devices) to fewer than 200 devices. The new printers are significantly more efficient in terms of power consumption, and therefore we are anticipating savings of up to 50% on CO2 emissions. We hope to cut white copier/printer paper use by 10%. These savings alone, with better management of consumables, are estimated to achieve financial savings of at least 20% over the next three years.

5 Energy A wide variety of projects and initiatives have taken place this year in order to address our impact on energy usage. A key success has been the Cutting Carbon Mark of Achievement awarded by the Camden Council Climate Change Alliance. The Library has also invested in more efficient escalators and chillers at St Pancras, and is currently above target in reducing its waste by weight.

6 The Camden Climate Change Alliance Mark of Achievement and the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme In February 2013, the British Library was awarded a Cutting Carbon Mark of Achievement by Camden Council Climate Change Alliance, of which the Library is a member, in recognition of our ongoing Energy Action Plan and resulting reduction in carbon emissions. As a result of this plan, plus a historical amendment, our Performance League Table ranking has improved significantly for 2012 to rank 609 out of 2097 organisations. We are now ranked 3rd in the UK within the museums and galleries sector. Energy saving escalators at St Pancras This year, a major refurbishment was carried out on the four escalators in the St Pancras public space due to major wear of components. The refurbished escalators include energysaving features, such as slowing down when not in use and switching off automatically at night, which reduce running costs. New chillers for St Pancras Two 960 kwh chillers have been installed to supplement the main chillers during lower load demands, such as during the winter months and summer evenings. The new chillers are very efficient and we are currently evaluating the significant long-term energy savings. Lighting upgrades St Pancras Rare Books/ Manuscripts Reading Room and Auditorium Our non-functioning high-level lighting in the Rare Books/Manuscripts Reading Rooms was upgraded to new LED lighting over the Easter break. Fifty-six existing metal halide luminaires were replaced with 50 LED fittings. The fittings have a colour temperature of 4,000 kelvin, and utilise asymmetric optics for correct dispersion across the ceiling to reflect light on to the reading room desks below. The change has resulted in the following benefits: A better environment for our Readers. A reduction in energy consumption of 11.5kW. Anticipated reduction in frequency of lamp failure from approximately 35,000 hours to in excess of 70,000 hours. The introduction of daylight dimming. The existing lighting system in our Conference Centre Auditorium has also been removed and replaced with a new digital multiplex (DMX) alternative. The new system makes use of red, green and blue (RGB) LED s allowing users to colour change both the cove lighting and stage spots, within a colour palette of up to 16 million colours. During the course of the upgrade, 67 x 1200mm fluorescent fittings were replaced with 265 x 305mm LED alternatives, and 60 x 50watt tungsten downlighters were replaced with 60 x 7 watt LED equivalent fittings. This has led to an overall energy saving of approximately 4.5kW. All work was completed during periods when the Auditorium was unoccupied, minimising any inconvenience to our users. WWF Earth Hour This year, the Library took part in the World Wildlife Federation s (WWF) Earth Hour, which took place on Saturday 31 March All lights at St Pancras were turned off for an hour from Earth Hour was a timely reminder to us all to save resources and money by switching off Library lights and equipment when they are not needed. More Recycling, Less Waste For the last two years, the British Library Estates team has been working to achieve the government s target of a 25% reduction in the total weight of waste produced by 2015, against the 2009/10 baseline figure of 823 tonnes. By taking various measures to reduce the generation of waste and to promote waste separation and recycling, we have progressively improved our performance over this period. By the end of 2012/13, with the waste total standing at 643 tonnes the rate of reduction had reached 21.83%. Our interim waste reduction target for the coming year is 23%. We have maintained the percentage of waste recycled at just over 70% by weight (452 tonnes). Waste which is not recycled is incinerated for energy generation nothing is sent to landfill.

7 Social Our key achievements in the social space for 2012/13 have focused largely on young people, helping them to develop important life, career and educational skills. Key projects have included our partnership with The Education Trust for Wetherby, kick-starting the CLR James project and the launch of the British Library Internship Scheme.

8 Wetherby High School The British Library has been a partner in the Education Trust for Wetherby with the University of York and Wetherby High School since This partnership is an important part of our CSR programme in the north. In previous years, we have advised on fundraising, helped the school to make links with potential partners and our staff have participated in careers fairs. This year we ran a series of seminars for sixth form students from the school at our Boston Spa site. We helped them to understand the difference between the methods of research undertaken at A-level compared with those they would need to use as undergraduates at University. Groups of around 20 students were shown round Boston Spa to help them to understand how we provide material to researchers through our Document Supply Service and the way that we digitise material to send it electronically to customers. The tours were followed by workshops which were led by one of our expert librarians and by one of our 2012 interns who had recently graduated in Information Science. The workshops examined which online resources students might use to research topics they were currently studying at A-level so that they were able to use these topics as live case studies. The students gave feedback that demonstrated how valuable the opportunity to explore such research techniques and to be guided by a peer had been. The Library plans to continue with this programme of visits in 2013/14. The CLR James Project The Library agreed in 2012 to support this project from This project will celebrate the research and publications of acclaimed Trinidadian writer and intellectual CLR James (one-time editor of Trinidad s The Nation newspaper and author of The Black Jacobins and Beyond a Boundary), illustrating his work and ideas to a new generation of school and college learners. World Write s student volunteers are being tasked with researching and producing a film on the significance and impact of James s work, allowing them to develop key skills in research, project management and media production as well as transferable technical skills. The Library will provide support by facilitating access to the collections, which contain James s seminal works, significant pieces of writing and editing he produced in Trinidad and the United States, as well as some of his literary publications, such as Minty Alley. As well as collections access, the Library will also help World Write volunteers develop new skills in working with primary research sources and printed materials, including books, pamphlets, newspapers and magazines. The Library s collection of materials published by and about West Indian and Pan-Africanist writers will also allow students to be introduced to methods for researching the interconnections between people and groups across different places and time periods. Research for the project will begin in Autumn 2013 and this will be kick-started by the provision of introduction to the British Library sessions for World Write student volunteers. Further work will be done in 2014 with the project concluding during The British Library Internship Scheme As part of our effort to help improve opportunities for young local people not in employment, the Library took on 11 paid interns last year. The interns were supported by the managers, colleagues and the Organisation Development team and benefited from a variety of internal training and career development opportunities. A few examples are: assisting in the development of marketing public events, supporting a department website by sourcing digital publications, providing support to desktop services in the IT department, and reviewing existing processes for capture of customer feedback to allow for standardisation of output. It was valuable for the Library to encounter interns with fresh ideas, enthusiasm and a strong work ethic and rewarding to observe how well the interns had developed during their time here. Interns feel they have enhanced and given credibility to their CVs from the work experience. By delivering on genuine work-based projects they have built their professional experience and confidence. They confirmed that they have thoroughly enjoyed working for a respected national institution. We will be looking to repeat the internship programme again this year following its success. READ International Staff continued to support READ International by donating 500 of their own unwanted books this year.

9 This year has been exceptional for the innovation and creativity colleagues have shown in implementing such a wide range of socially responsible activities. I would like to thank the CSR Working Group and colleagues for their continued commitment. Let s make next year even better. Alistair McIntosh Head of Organisation Development and CSR Working Group Chair If you have any questions or feedback regarding our CSR Framework, please contact us: CSR@bl.uk T +44 (0)